


this is where my heart is

by SinSmith



Series: this little map is never wrong [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Happy, Children of Characters, Cute, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Everyone is in love., Everyone is some kind of queer, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff, Gay, Happy Ending, M/M, Marauders, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Marriage, Mention of sex, Multi, Multiship, Nonbinary Nymphadora Tonks, Peter and Sirius are married, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Post-Marauders Era (Harry Potter), There's not a straight character in sight., Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Wolfstar is MENTIONED but is somehow not the main ship., this is embarassing, wolfstar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:28:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28247658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SinSmith/pseuds/SinSmith
Summary: "Eventually, there was a year no one died.Not of anything other than old age, at least not anyone they knew. "Outlining two plus decades of domestic bliss spent in Godric's Hollow, and many more to come. Everyone lives, nobody dies AU.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Marauders & Lily Evans Potter, Marauders & Marauders, Peter Pettigrew/James Potter, Remus Lupin & Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks, Sirius Black & Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin & Peter Pettigrew & James Potter, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin & Peter Pettigrew & James Potter & Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black/Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Series: this little map is never wrong [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2070732
Kudos: 25





	this is where my heart is

**Author's Note:**

> Main ship here is polyamorous Marauders. Like, all of 'em. Because I was sick as hell of Peter Pettigrew getting left out of happy AUs. We've no reason to believe he would have become a monster if he wasn't put in horrifying circumstances. So, without further adieu- 
> 
> Peter x Sirius, Remus x Sirius x Peter, Lily x James, Remus x Tonks (eventually)
> 
> This covers two decades of Marauders being extremely in love with each other. It is fluffy, it is incredibly sweet, you'll probably squeal. There is no Peter bashing here, so be prepared for that as well. The Potters have kids, Remus&Tonks have kids. Peter&Sirius are married. 
> 
> I am generally sort of embarrassed to post this, but it sets the scene for more smut that I'm writing in this AU so. Enjoy.

Eventually, there was a year no one died. 

Not of anything other than old age, at least not anyone they knew. 

Pete’s place, where Sirius sometimes lived but refused to call his own though it was mostly his money that had bought it, was six doors down from the Potters. Just close enough the kids could walk it on their own, but not so close they showed up without permission. Which was good, considering that Uncles Moony, Padfoot and Wormtail had hobbies that weren’t exactly fit for children. 

The house was a lovely blend of fastidious and comfortable; cozy in a bedraggled way that Peter rearranged every few weeks. It was always different when Sirius came back from one of his trips than when he’d left it.

And not that they’d talked about it, but there were skylights and fireplaces and a lovely back lot with windows and sunlight streamed in from every angle. It was as different from Grimmauld Place as Peter could manage- he’d filled it with light and he banished every shadow with patient persistence. 

They’d abandoned a lot of silly old things- silly old houses, silly old pretenses, silly old rituals. 

They’d also built new ones. Like dinners together on Sundays that were rarely missed. James at the head of the table, Lily at his left and Peter at his right. Peter only sat there, really, because he was the one most often around; then Sirius, if he was in town, and Remus, if he was on holiday from Hogwarts, and then the four Potter children: Harry, the eldest, always so proud to sit closest to the grown ups, Marion who was always in costume, Sophie who was stalwart and serious, and little Georgie who was everyone’s darling. If they were very lucky, or it were an extremely special Sunday, they would haul in a second table from the back room and might even have Molly or Arthur or some of their redheaded flock come to call- Harry and Ron Weasley had been instant friends- or Frank and Alice and Neville or any number of visitors. Everyone was welcome, and even Marlene Shacklebolt (she’d been McKinnon, before) seemed to have gotten over old bad blood and stopped by time to time for midnight margaritas. 

They went for long walks together, a family they’d built themselves, on every Tuesday afternoon. Tuesdays were easiest, afterall, because it was the day both Lily and Peter took a half day at the Ministry. Important, Lily had informed them all matter-of-factly, to maintain a good work-life balance. Peter had gone along with her because, of course, he always did. James was happy to have the help. 

Nobody would have suspected, really, that impetuous golden boy James Potter would have decided to go full domestic, but here they were. He’d tried the Quidditch bit for a while, tried being an Auror- but once Harry had been born, and he’d given up on being who it was expected of him to be and given into being who he wanted, that had been the end of that. He mastered organizing baby toys and teaching the alphabet and changing nappies, and his friends had honestly never seen him happier. 

It was hard on them, all of them, when Harry had first gone to Hogwarts- Sirius had cried, the dog, and even though Uncle Moony - sorry, Professor Lupin, Harry, you must call me Professor at school- swore to keep an eye on him, there were all sorts of reassurances, threats, and cajoling from all of them. They’d loaded his bag with sweets, and The Marauders Map, and more quills and parchment than he could ever use- but it was Padfoot who really won the day when he gave Harry a brand new Nimbus 2000. His two parents, two uncles, and one godfather dropped him at Platform 9 ¾ holding onto each other. In retrospect, it was perhaps a little clingy but- first children are hard. 

Lily asked Peter once, up well after dark and sharing a hard-earned hot-toddy, why he and Sirius had never had any kids. Peter had simply gasped, offended. “Lily, how could you. We’ve had four.” The laughter had been stifled, so as not to wake them sleeping upstairs, but all too genuine. 

“Is there something, you know, between you and Lily?” Sirius had asked Peter, early one morning after they’d had them over for a movie night. “Us? No. Well- just that one time.” “Sixth year? I know about that.” “No, no. I don’t quite remember- oh. No, she remembers, but I’m not allowed to.” A smile put a dimple in Peter’s cheek, and the black-haired wizard had shoved him with his foot. “She’s my work-wife, that’s all. The Ministry can’t function without her, and she can’t function without me. Suits me perfectly.” 

And that much was true. Peter was a miracle worker when it came to fixing problems before they arose; when it came to building a harmonious and efficient workplace and home. Peter kept the schedules, Peter remembered the children’s birthdays and birthday parties and favorite friends at school. He baby-sat once a week, on date night, and brought soup over for a week when James had had Dragon Pox. 

Their street in Godric’s Hollow had beautiful old trees on it, the kind that turned bright colors that fell with a crunch each fall and lingered just a little longer than the other blocks. There were more than enough rooms for the two of them, plus a spare room for Remus, plus what had once been an office turned de-facto play room, plus a few more for flash. Sirius had bought the place on a whim the day his mother finally bit it, but honestly Peter didn’t object. It was a beautiful place, and he loved the old magic seeped into the oak floor boards, the plaster and daub walls. He loved the attic, with its bookshelves and windows overlooking the little town square. It felt like… he was finally part of something. 

Sirius, however, liked the kitchen best- not really because he spent much time there, but because any time spent there was time he was watching Wormtail toddle about the kitchen. Fussing over dishes, plucking fresh herbs growing in small dishes by the glorious windows, stepping over Sirius’ bags still laying where he’d dropped them. Watching him perfectly at ease, stocky and plump and wearing his thick, fitted sweaters. He favored them after school, once he’d realized he was at least one, or two, or three, or four- people’s perfect cup of tea just the way he was. Golden curls and freckles and fat and all. 

He’d grown a beard once, and Sirius and James had complained so loudly that Lily’d had to stage an intervention. He’d not tried again since. 

One of the bigger splurges that Peter had allowed, what with their finances tied up, was the bed in the master bedroom. It was a perfect room, high ceilings and curtains; everything green and gold and dappled in sun, richer undertones in the carpet and bed things. But the bed itself was enchanted- shifting to automatically fit any number of people that might use it. 

Sirius had cocked an eyebrow at that, and spent an afternoon outlining all the lascivious things, and ways, and methods he planned on using that specific bed. With Remus. Peter. James. Lily. Maybe that tall man from the Ministry that Peter was so taken with- 

The truth of the matter was, though, it saw more use in completely mundane ways. Like when the Potter children spent the night and nightmares or thunderstorms or any kind of chaos sent them whimpering upstairs and piling into bed with Uncles Wormy and Pads. Thunderstorms, Padfoot had confessed as they all hid conspiratorial underneath the blankets in their giant bed, to a crowd of bright eyed, black framed little faces- thunderstorms were particularly scary to him, too. But luckily, Wormy had a fool proof method for keeping them at bay. “Wot’s that?” Georgie had asked. “Well, see- he crushes me, Georgie. You’ll have to get squashed. Go on get him.” Squeals and laughter had eventually melted into six sleeping idiots in one massive bed; and frankly it was worth the tiny foot Peter inevitably woke up to shoved into his cheek.

It went the same way as the ear piercings. Sirius had bet that Peter wouldn’t let him pierce his ear, and Peter had bet that Sirius wouldn’t pierce both ears- and it had ended with Sirius having both ears pierced and a tongue ring, and both of them bleeding and needing Madam Pomfrey. 

“Ugh, why’d I marry him, again?”  
“It’s because of the money.”  
“Mmm. Right, the money.” 

It was true that Sirius had quite the inheritance he was sitting on. It was also true that he was abysmal with money, and Peter was all kinds of clever with it. 

It was funny, though- they’d gone from roommates to husbands without ever really having a ‘boyfriends’ phase that anyone could recall. Most days, they called each other wife, just to cause trouble. 

It didn’t mean, though, that Remus didn’t spend the night; he did. Every holiday, every summer. Those nights were some of their favorites; when Sirius had been coaxed back from whatever exotic locale he’d been visiting, and Remus had been coaxed into the master bedroom, and they could just- be together like that. Like it had always been that way. 

When Remus announced he was marrying Nymphadora Tonks, of all people, there had been absolute chaos in Godric’s Hollow. So much so the neighbors brought a pie, in case. 

“You’re too old for them, mate.”  
“Tonks? Are you serious, I didn’t even know they liked blokes-”  
“-do they know? Oh god, are you going to-”  
“They know. They say, and I quote, ‘For fucks’ sake, everyone knows about the four of you’. And, with a cheeky grin, ‘I promise to only get involved if they invite me.’”

Sirius’ delighted whoop had broken the silence and they’d all agreed that would probably be alright. 

“This is my ex-fiancee.”  
“You have to stop introducing me like that. I’m his husband.”

“Whaaat? You have a crush on me. Peter, that’s embarrassing.”  
“We’re married, Sirius.”  
“What, we are?”  
“We’ve been married for ten years, Sirius.” 

People often didn’t understand how it worked; Sirius spent most of his time abroad, doing god-knows-what god-knows-where. Curse-breaking, sometimes, or helping track down dark wizards; he had a nose for it, after all. Sometimes just playing- going on benders, buying some rare artifact, whatever suited him really. He was home maybe one week a month, in a good stretch. 

But it had been a long time since any of them had doubted exactly where they stood, even if they didn’t often say it out loud. 

It was love, plain and simple. Different flavors, and facets- sometimes heated, sometimes calm, but always there. 

“I like going away. I like it when you miss me.” 

It perhaps never sunk in quite the same way as when Sirius had been fretting- too nice to Peter, around an anniversary. He wasn’t sure what was wrong with him. Obviously, Sirius hadn’t married him as a joke. I mean, maybe he had, but it wasn’t a joke after five years, certainly. But then there had been backrubs and candlelit dinner and- 

“You’re cheating on me.”  
“I’m sorry, what?”  
“You’re cheating on me. That’s why there’s all this-”  
“Merlin, no. Absolutely not. Its- well it’ll ruin your gift.” A stern look from Peter. “Remember that trip you took in 75 with your mum, and you stayed in that little cottage by the beach and you had such a lovely time? Its-”  
“Oh god- did you book us a trip? Sirius-”  
“Well, no- not exactly. It's… well. Don’t be mad.”  
“...”  
“I bought it. Thought it might be fun for you to fuck me on every surface of a new house, rather than one we’ve already done it in.”  
“Black.”  
“Yes, Black?”  
“Maybe I want to fuck you on every surface of this house, again. I have a list.”  
“Well, that sounds very important, Mr. Assistant Director.”  
“You prick. Come here.” 

One memorable Sunday dinner, out in the garden, the kids all gone to play- Tonks was explaining to them about some workplace drama amongst the Aurors. 

“-and they all laugh, and Kingsley says ‘of course my wife knows about my girlfriend.’ And everyone had a chuckle about it- which you lot have probably had, too, being polyam ‘n all-”  
“Being… what, sorry?”  
“Polyam? Y’know, polyamorous?” Remus gave his partner a quizzical look, and they shot it right back at him- looking at him like he was mental.  
“Right- so. You know how you’re… married to me, but dating Sirius, but aaaaalso kind of dating Peter and then shagging Lily on the reg…?” Lupin had nearly spat out his drink at that one.  
“.... I am what.”  
"What you idiots have been doing for TWENTY YEARS. You can't tell me you lot haven't been shagging since Hogwarts. We all know, Remus. And Peter, right- you’re married to Sirius-”  
“-unfortunately-”  
“-but you’re also shagging Remus and James spends the night when the others are working and he’s got a sitter?” It was Peter’s turn to look bashful, all red across his freckles.  
“And James, Lily’s the love of your life and you’ve got four kids, but really everyone’s kinda raising them together? And you’re, all of you, sort of in love with each other and that works just fine?” Tonks was on a roll, hopped up on a chair like a bisexual disaster and gesticulating wildly at them all with a serving spoon.  
Sirius was the first one to laugh; a deep chest laugh. They all stared at him.  
“Well- they’ve got our numbers, haven’t they?”  
“Wait, wait. Of course we’re polyamorus.” Lily finally added, frowning at the table, regarding their blank faces. “You- you really didn’t know? For the love of Merlin, I just thought you’d all talked about it years ago…”  
Remus sighed, that deeply contemplative sigh, looking up at the pink-haired whirlwind he’d married. “Right then. Explain to us, slowly, what the hell polyamory is.”

It was a strange block, stranger still when Harry married Ginny Weasley and got a London flat only to, a year or so later, trade it up for another Godric’s Hollow burrow. The outcry when Tonks and Remus were welcoming their first child at the same time Ginny had announced their first grandchild had led to merciless teasing. Remus had been so mortified he ran off for a week and had to be dragged back, the idiot, by all three other Marauders. 

After that, Moony was done running. For the most part. Though he still got twitchy around full moons. And if Teddy was born a little, uh, wolfy- well. Everyone had the good graces not to mention it. 

Peter and James cooked Yule dinner, a massive roast- they’d all learned to like it nearly rare, given both Remus and Sirius’ preferences. The two of them dodged each other easily in the kitchen, with only a few dollops of flour and whipped cream ending up on noses and fingertips, and the aggressively shooed out Sirius who waltzed in to steal candied cherries, or the kids who followed suit, or Lily wrestling with a bottle of mulled wine she couldn’t quite get open. 

They hadn’t gotten all the flour off when they posed for their portrait. 

In order of tallest, to shortest. 

Professor Remus Tonks-Lupin. Middle aged, gaunt but handsome; he’d grown a moustache that didn’t hide his scars. Still dressing like a dowdy professor, but the holes in his clothes had patches now, sewn on in little patterns. 

Sirius Black. Still gorgeous, hair in long black waves down his shoulders; tattoos from collar to navel. Dressed like a muggle rockstar, black dragon-scale leather trench coat down to his knees. Sunglasses he refused to remove, even for a portrait, and wild grey eyes- that had dulled from dangerous to mischievous with time and love and patience. 

James Potter. Glasses, black hair; a spatter of flour on his shoulder he hadn’t noticed. One arm around his wife, the other on Marion’s shoulder. Glowing, all crooked grin. 

Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin. Hair bright pink, shaved on the side; tucked happily under Remus’ arm as he tried to dodge the spikes on the shoulders of their jacket, as well as the reindeer antlers they’d worn specifically for the occasion. 

Harry Potter. He was taller than his mother at sixteen and still growing, much to her chagrin. Glasses, like his father- but a little more delicate, both in features and demeanor. A Gryffindor, like the rest of them, and wearing a sweater Molly Weasley and knitted for him. 

Lily Potter. Standing perfectly poised, with a practiced smile from her Ministry photos. Done up in a gold sweater, arms wrapped around Sophie, her younger daughter. 

Marion and Sophie Potter, both a little awkward and gangly in the way teenage girls so often are. Brimming with potential. 

Peter Black née Pettigrew. Mousy and paunchy and grinning, a pat of flour still dusting his upturned nose. Wrinkles deep around his eyes, but more charming for it. Freckles and an apron still on, shoving at Sirius who was draping over his shoulder dramatically. 

And lastly, on the ground and tugging on Peter’s ankles, was the youngest Potter boy- Georgie- full of bright red hair and mischief. 

It's clear, from the moving portrait, that they are moments away from mayhem- and they all get to relive the disastrous fall that led them all to collapsing in a massive pile mere moments later. 

They hang it over their fireplace for posterity.


End file.
